The underground mining environment by its very nature may be limiting in terms of visibility. Operators of mobile underground equipment may be at a disadvantage due to the area in which they have to operate their machine. Lighting technology advancements have greatly improved the environment, but low visibility and blind spots may still exist. Safe and durable recording systems providing real time and recorded video need to be used in underground mining and other hazardous, low or restricted visibility environments (such as oil and gas, chemical, or any other equipment operated in a Class 1, 2 or 3 Div 1 or 2 environment as defined in the current version of the National Electrical Code) to help equipment operators have a larger field of view.
Video cameras incorporated in such recording systems may serve as “mirrors” for the vehicles on which they are equipped to allow the operator to see areas that normally are blind to the operator. In an environment where man and machine co-exist, there is a great danger of workers being struck or even run over by the mobile equipment. Although Proximity Detection may be implemented to prevent these accidents, an individual may not have a “tag” on them so as to be detected by a Proximity Detection system. As a result, the individual's presence may not de-energize the equipment with which they come into contact. Furthermore, such detection techniques provide only one layer of protection. To ensure proper underground work place safety, multiple layers of protection should be employed.
Thus, there is a need to provide additional layers of protection to avoid these types of accidents. The human operator element may be the primary layer of protection. Additional layers of protection may be provided through better lighting and the implementation of video recording systems to provide the operator with greater visibility around the machine while it is in operation. Further, with an appropriate and durable DVR or other video and/or audio recording system capturing the machine operation, the machine operator becomes more accountable for ensuring that the machine is always operated in a safe manner. Such a system may also aid investigators in the event that an accident or equipment issue should occur.
The present application appreciates that visibility, safety, and accountability in an underground mining environment may be a challenging endeavor.